a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a combination of an end cap and a mounting support for a roller, especially a roller of an architectural covering and particularly a winding roller for a covering for an architectural opening, such as a window blind or shade.
b. Background Art
Combinations of end caps and mounting supports for rollers are known from British patent specification GB 434 043 and Dutch published patent application NL 84 00103. In each of the combinations of an end cap and a mounting support of these publications, the end cap can be engaged and disengaged from the mounting support. Either the end cap or the mounting support has an axially open slot or recess for accommodating an axially projecting pin or protuberance on the other and there are means adjacent to the axial recess to engage and hold the axial pin within the axial recess and to release the axial pin from such engagement. From these publications, it has also been clear that there could suitably be a kinematic inversion of their axial recesses and axial pins on their end caps and mounting supports that would simply lead to different positions for these elements.
However, access to the means for engaging and releasing the axial pin from the axial recess on such end caps and mounting supports has generally been only from one direction. As a result, access to the means for engaging and releasing the axial pin, which could well be resilient, to activate or deactivate it has been somewhat limited. In this regard, winding rollers for window shades and blinds have typically been mounted in confined spaces near the top of window frames. Also the axial recesses of winding rollers have often been placed in hard-to-reach vertical or horizontal positions, depending on whether the mounting supports have been affixed to a wall or to a ceiling adjacent to the window. This has frequently made it difficult to engage or disengage the axial pin from the axial opening when installing or removing a winding roller of a shade or blind from a window frame.
In order to overcome or ameliorate at least some of the disadvantages of known combinations of end caps and mounting supports, the combination of an end cap and mounting support of this invention comprises: an end cap disengagably engagable with a support bracket and one of the end cap and the support bracket being provided with: a laterally open slot for accommodating an axially extending protuberance on the other of the end cap and the support bracket; and closing means to prevent the protuberance from escaping from the laterally open slot; wherein the closing means comprises a rotatable locking collar surrounding the laterally open slot and having a circumferential entrance opening which can be aligned with the laterally open slot by rotation of the locking collar relative to the laterally open slot from a closed position to an open position, thereby selectively providing access to the laterally open slot through the circumferential entrance opening.
Advantageously, the end cap and mounting support combination also comprises means for retaining the locking collar in the closed position. Preferably, the retaining means comprise a resilient spring means for biasing the locking collar into its closed position.
Advantageously, the end cap and mounting support combination further comprises a manually engagable projection on diametrically opposite sides of the locking collar.